Blood and Tears (adopted)
by Horselove12345
Summary: Katara and Zuko are captured and sold to a prison mine where their bending abilities are stripped from them. Escaping the mine they are pursued with no one to rely on but each other./ chapter one and two are not mine i adopted this story, if you want to find out what happens to the exiled fire prince and traveling waterbender then youll have to read on. :)-Sam
1. Chapter 1

**Hello people of the world lol, these first two chapters of this fanfic are not mine. A girl named Caeria ( i think i spelt it right.) about a month ago i adopted this fanfic from her. It took me two days to retype the whole first two chapters. but i finally got em down, i am currently working on the 3rd. I havnt changed anything from the first two, so the credit there goes to Caeria.**

**Chapter one:**

Zuko hit the ground hard, the earth slamming into him with the force of a hammer. Instinctually falling back on martial techniques drilled into him from the time he would walk, Zuko tried to tuck and roll his body along the force of the blow. Unfortunately, too many other blows and lack of food had weakened him to the point that even the training of the lifetime couldn't help him. He knew, even as the ground rushed up to meet him, that it was a futile exercise.

The sound of bones snapping, and the hot flare of agony that ripped across his collarbone, proved him right.

"You'll stay down, _boy_, if you know what's good for you."

Rude laughter and jeering taunts rang out around him. His vision swam, black spots crowding out his vision in his one good eye. Slowly he gathered his legs beneath him, ignoring the scrape of bare legs and knees across the sharp pieces of rock. His right arm now useless, Zuko shifted his weight to his left and pressed upwards. He was no longer sprawled across the ground but kneeling and bent over.

Without warning, a jagged shard of rock flew at him from his blind side, tearing the exposed skin across his shoulders. Zuko was too tired to even flinch at this latest pain. Staring down into the dirt beneath him, he panted, his breath causing fingers of pain across his ribs as he watched as three fat drop of blood splatter against the earth.

_Why was he here?_ He couldn't remember. He knew he had to get up. He just couldn't remember why.

Then above the sound of laughter, he heard it-a woman's voice, pleading with him to stay down, to do what they asked. To stop fighting. He shook his head and his vision swam with the motion. Stay down. She wanted him to stay down. Why? He couldn't remember, but he knew that he couldn't do what the woman's voice asked of him.

He had to remember. The woman…her voice was still pleading. He could hear it, only now her pleas had changed. He could hear the fear and desperation. She was no longer pleading with him, but with the ugly voices that laughed and jeered.

"Leave him alone! You're killing him!"

_Who were they killing?_

The woman's voice mixed with the other hated voices until all that he could hear was a dull roar that filled his ears like the sound of rushing water.

_Water. He was so thirsty. When was the last time he'd had his fill of clean, fresh water?_

Water. There was something he was supposed to be remembering…something about water.

Beyond hi sight, the woman's voice cried out in pain and frustrated rage.

He remembered. _The water girl._

Rage filled hi, the anger a heat that shimmered through his veins. Eyes narrowed into hate-filled slits, Zuko gathered his strength and staggered to his feet. As Zuko stood, swaying slightly, the laughter around him died.

"Let 'er go." His words were soft and slightly slurred, his spilt bottom lip making it difficult to speak.

The hated voice of the prisoner boss, Arun, came from his left. Him, Zuko definitely remembered. "Well would you look at that, the Little Dragon wants to go another round."

_Little Dragon._ The taunt, even now, made him flinch. His father had called him that. He hated that name. He hated it all the more because he knew that if these Earthbender scum knew who he really was, they'd have killed him long ago.

Zuko swung around, his steps shaky, to face the voice. His vision, already bad from the day he'd received the gift of his father's displeasure, was now almost useless. The blow to the head he'd taken earlier left him with spots that danced before his one good eye. The light seemed abnormally bright, washing out the colors and bleeding them together. It didn't help that he was also seeing double.

"Let 'er go." He'd have to say more, but only the clenching of his teeth kept the nausea down. Although, losing his meager midday meal on Arun's shoes did have a certain appeal. Too bad he couldn't actually see those shoes.

He heard the movement of his opponent and lifted his good arm to block the blow he couldn't see. In the end, it did him no good. A ham-handed fist struck him below his upraised arm, impacting hard against ribs that could stand no more abuse. Zuko went down amidst cruel laughter and one horrified scream.

* * *

Arun laughed all the harder seeing the crumpled form of the Fire nation troublemaker. He should have killed him when he first arrived. If they hadn't needed strong backs to work on the mines, he would have. Those of the Fire Nation deserved no mercy. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a small boulder from the hillside and sent it hovering over the blooded head of the boy at his feet.

Arm outstretched to hold the rock in mid-air he approached the struggling girl being held between two guards. Bending low, he grinned, showing his yellow teeth. He laughed again when Katara pulled back from him in disgust. "Choice is yours, girl." He reached his other hand out and ran a dirty finger down her cheek. "You come with me to my hut tonight with no fighting, or the Little Dragon over there gets squashed." Arun turned his head and spat in the direction of Zuko before adding, "Fire Nation whore like you ought to be grateful for my interest, girl. You align yourself with me and I can keep you out of the mines."

There had been a time when Katara would have fought and raged at the implication that she was Zuko's whore. That had been over two weeks ago. Now, she just went limp, sagging into the hard hands that gripped her arms. Tears streamed down her face. Zuko had fought this man for her, though she didn't know why. She couldn't let him die, not like this.

It was over. "I'll be there tonight." She whispered.

"Knew you'd see it my way, girl." Arun smirked, confident in his victory. Another flick of his wrist sent the rock hurtling back against the hillside with an impact that Katara could feel through the soles of her bare feet.

"Let her go." Arun grunted at the men holding her.

Katara collapsed on the ground as her support was suddenly removed.

Bending down, Arun scooped up one end of the six-foot length of chain from where it was rested in the dirt. Fingering the thick, black iron links he swung the manacled end in a short arc. The other was firmly attached to Katara's right wrist. It was these chains that linked all the prisoners that worked the mines together. There could never be any escape with twenty prisoners tied together. Arun had removed Katara and Zuko from the chain line, and then released Zuko completely before the fight, boasting loudly that he'd wanted it to be a fair fight. It had been anything but fair.

Now, with the cold, dispassionate eyes, Arun jerked the end of the chain he held, pulling Katara across the ground to where Zuko lay in a bloodied heap. "Can't have you running away from me now?" Snapping the manacle over Zuko's left wrist, Arun gave a sharp tug that had Katara sprawling in the dirt. The two guards laughed and Katara fought to hold back tears.

Clapping the two guards on the back, Arun set off towards the dining tent where the guards ate, secure in his absolute power over the prisoners.

A few steps away, Arun stopped and turned back to Katara, who was still huddled in the dirt next to Zuko. "Best get Dragon up and moving, girl. If he doesn't report to work by the time I finish eating-" he left the threat unfinished but the boulder imbedded in the cliff face rocked menacingly back and forth a few times before going still. Katara understood the threat all to well. When Katara didn't answer, he added with a leer, "See you tonight, girl."

* * *

Not even bothering to get to her feet, Katara crawled the remaining few feet across the ground until she reached Zuko's battered body. All the prisoners here in the mines were bruised and battered to some degree or another. If the hard work of the mining didn't beat you down, then Arun and his cronies took great pleasure in spreading as much pain and humiliation around as they could. Zuko, being a member of the hated Fire Nation, with his pride and obvious contempt for the guards, had earned more then his fair share of abuse.

Katara felt a stab of guilt. This latest round of cruelty was because of her. Arun had started his harassment as the prisoners had started the early morning shift. Still groggy from days of little sleep and inadequate food, Katara had been unprepared when Arun had grabbed her from behind. At her shriek of surprise and outrage, the other prisoners in the long line of waiting on the morning thin gruel had looked up as she struggled feebly in Arun's grasp.

The faces looking back at her had been a sea of blank-eyed apathy. Any pity they felt for her was carefully concealed behind masks of indifference. Everyone there knew that to interfere on her behalf would incite the anger of Arun. No one had been willing to risk that anger. No one except Zuko. And the Fire Nation prince didn't even like her! He blamed her, and rightly, her guilty conscience noted, for their capture and imprisonment.

Katara wiped away her tears with the heel of one grubby hand; heedless of the dirt she smeared across her face. The young prince didn't move when she touched his shoulder. For one brief, panicked moment she thought he was dead and that she was alone in this awful place. More tears, this time relief, ran silently down her cheeks when she caught a shallow exhale in the next moment.

She didn't even bother wiping away these new tears. She'd never been much of a crier before; before being captured, before being stripped of her bending abilities, her dignity and her freedom. She'd been fearless before. She knew what fear was now in the after. Fear was seeing her brother and Aang go down beneath the onslaught of two-dozen Fire Nation soldiers and being unable to help. Fear was the taste of defeat and being sold, along with Zuko, to the mine operation be an unnamed masked fire bender, Fear was knowing what was going to happen to her as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon and Arun came for her.

Fear had a new dimension now as she gazed at the still unconscious Zuko. Arun, as the guard leader, liked to linger over his breakfast. She had maybe an hour to get Zuko up and moving or he would be dead. Even in the two weeks that they'd been in the camp, she'd already seen Arun kill three prisoners. He'd even killed one old poor man as he'd stood in the long line of chained together prisoners. The guards had thought it funny to leave the dead body in shackles, pulled along by the others in the chain until the man's body finally deteriorated enough for his arms to pull out from the shackles that held him as tightly in death as it had in life. She couldn't let Prince Zuko die, not like this, like a beaten down dog in the street. She had no doubts that the proud prince would rather die fighting on his feet.

Was that why Zuko persisted in defying Arun? She wondered. Was Zuko looking to get himself killed in a blaze of glory as the only way out of this? Maybe that was why he'd come to her rescue. It made more sense that he had been using Arun's assault on her to give him a reason to attack, rather than just coming to her defenses. Zuko, had after all, made no secret of his loathing for her. Then again, even a known enemy was better than no one at all. Zuko and Katara had history, even if that history was enmity and fighting. Katara sighed. Idle speculation would get her nowhere and her hour was slowly ticking away.

Reaching out a hand, she brushed he fingertips across the side of Zuko's skull. Beneath her fingers, the short stubble that had grown in where he normally shaved his head felt soft and silky. Quirking a small half-smile, Katara thought it was probably the only soft thing about the Fire Nation prince. The smile faded as her fingers encountered the butchered remains of his ponytail, the hairs now only slightly longer then the stubble. Arun had cut the ponytail off on their first day in the prison camp. It had been the first fight between Arun and the guards and Zuko. It was also when Zuko had discovered that he could no longer summon his fire.

Katara trembled at the memory. It had also been the day she'd discovered that her water bending skills had been stripped from her as well. They hadn't found out until days later how it had been done and by that point it was way too late for either of them. Camp rumor from the other prisoners said that once bending abilities had been stripped that they never came back.

She shook her head to dislodge the memories. She had to get Zuko up and moving. "Zuko?" She said, careful not to mention his title unless she was overheard. "Wake up."

The prince didn't move. Sliding her hand down, she gently shook his shoulder. "Zuko!" she hissed, a little more forcefully. They needed to get up, the line of prisoners would be moving soon. It was then that the obvious finally penetrated into Katara's muddled and tired mind. They were no longer in line, but only attached to each other. For the first time in weeks, a shadow of the old, defiant Katara surfaced. They were no longer attached to the line of other prisoners. The guards and prisoners were eating. They were alone and the edge of the forest was within sight. Her newfound fear rose up as well. No one escaped from this place except through death. She and Zuko were chained together; they'd never be able to travel fast enough to get away. They were both starved and weak and had no idea where in the four kingdoms they were beyond being somewhere in the Earth kingdom. It was madness. It was suicide.

A burst of laughter came from the direction of the food tent, the guards, no doubt, tormenting someone else. Katara made her decision. If Zuko really want to go out fighting, she was about to give him his fight.

Katara bent back to Zuko. "Zuko! Get up now! We're leaving."

_Leaving _seemed to have been the magic word, for the young man stirred. "Tara? Wha?" Zukos speech was stilled slurred and he seemed to have a hard time focusing on her.

Feeling her precious time before Arun returned slipping away from them, Katara ignored Zuko's questions. "Can you get on your feet?" she questioned.

"Es. Leavin'?"

Offering her own shoulder, Katara tired to get Zuko to his feet. It was difficult; the young man was both heavier and taller the she was, making the lifting awkward. But Zuko's own stubborn determination and the whispered promise of _leaving_, she soon had the two of them on their feet, though Zuko swayed alarmingly.

It was lunacy. They'd never make it.

Pointing them both towards the edge of camp, Katara started walking, supporting a stumbling Zuko along her side.

Maybe dying fighting was better after all.

* * *

**_Hello my fellow fanfictioners(?) i know its the same as before, like i said i didnt change anything, (besides grammar) I hope you like MY chapters though. Chapter 2 should be done soon. thanks for reading, review please._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**same as before this chapter is not originally mine, it belong to someone else i adopted it, retyped it. Hope you still enjoy it **_**_though -Sam_**

* * *

Chapter two:

With each halting step they took away from the prison mining camp, the need to move faster beat at Katara. One dominant thought kept cadence with her heart beat and with every breath she let out through clenched teeth.

_Run…Run…Run._

A shudder wound its way up her spine as she thought of Arun and what would happen to them if they were caught.

_Run…Run…Run_

Zuko stumbled beside her and almost brought them both to their knees. She dug her fingers into his side where her are wrapped around his waist, tightening her grip. She didn't look at him when a low, barley audible groan escaped her his lips or when she felt the warm, wetness she knew to be blood coat her fingers. They didn't have time to stop and dress wounds.

_Run…Run…Run_

She'd looped the six feet of chain connecting them across their shoulders to keep from tangling around their feet. The weight of the chain seemed to grow heavier with every step they took, holding them back, slowing them down.

_Run…Run…Run_

Sharp edged rocks and thorny vegetation bit into the bare soles of their feet. She missed the sturdy warmth of her boots. Glancing down, she noticed that she and Zuko were leaving tracks on the dirt trail they followed. No shoes and bloody feet. She had no doubt that it would make things easier for any tracking dogs to find them.

_Run…Run…Run_

Already she was panting hard, the weight of the chain and the struggling of keeping Zuko upright and moving draining what few reserves of strength she had left. There had been too many days of hard work, meager meals and restless, haunted sleep. Still she ran, pushing the onward with each faltering step.

_Run…Run…Run_

Words were gasped into her ear. "Leave me."

The words were spoken so softly that at first Katara wasn't sure she heard them. She only registered what Zuko had said, when he repeated them. This time she stumbled, the words a shock to her already overtaxed system. Putting one foot in front of the other and practically dragging Zuko along with her, Katara let the sudden anger that rose up inside of her loose. "I will not leave you." She hissed between breaths. "First of all, we are chained together still, so leaving you is not an option."

She quickened her pace, the anger fueling her onward, even as the beat in her head continued.

_Run…Run…Run_

"And…_huff_…even…_huff_…if…I…_huff_…could, …_huff_…I…_huff_…wouldn't…_huff_…leave you."

Katara stumbled again. This time Zuko caught her and brought her to a halt. The sudden stop caused the heavy chain looked over their shoulders to slide to the ground with a ringing that caused Katara to wince. The voice inside of her that urged to her run waited out its protest. Urgently she pulled at him. "They will be coming soon. We need to get as far away as possible."

"Not like this. Stop. Catch your breath. We need to think, not run like scared rabbits."

Realizing that he was right, Katara fought down the urge to keep moving, the need to run still sounding loudly in her ears. Trying to focus on something else, Katara took a step away from Zuko and for the first time since they'd left camp, she looked up into Zuko's face, and gasped. The eye with the burn scar was swollen completely shut while a long zigzagged across his right temple. Blood had run down the side of his face and down onto his bare chest, leaving streaks of bright red among the dirt and mud that covered him. Where the blood had mixed with the dirt, a black crust had started to form. Zuko's split bottom lip was also swollen. More blood oozed form it, running down his chin and mixing with that blood that was already splattered across his chest.

He wasn't standing completely straight either, but stood slightly hunched over with one of his arms held tightly against his ribs while the other hung limp at his side.

But that wasn't what worried her. Zuko's good eye wasn't focused on her, but somewhere over her left shoulder. The white portion of his eye was shot through with red, as if many blood vessels had been broken. The most worrying thing thought was the size of his pupil. In the early morning sunlight, his pupil should have been contracted to a pinprick; instead his pupil was large, almost eclipsing the golden hue of his iris.

"Zuko, your eyes-" she began.

He cut her off, his voice harsh with his own gasps for air. "Tell me where we are."

She stiffened at his curt tone. She answered, but from her clipped words there was no mistaking her anger. "I took the main trail out of camp." Seeing the scowl that marked his face at her words, she added in her defense, "I know that makes it easier for them to find us, but it was also the easiest to navigate. You're too heavy for me to carry.

Zuko's head tilted slightly and he scowled, seemingly in thought. "The main trail-the same one they brought us in on?" he asked.

"Yes."

"There was a river and a waterfall. Have we passed it yet?"

Katara shook her head, and then realized he wouldn't be able to see her movement. Wondering what he was thinking, she said aloud, "No, it's still up ahead of us.

"We'll head there, then flout down the river."

He was insane. "The river is off the main trail. Getting there will slow us down."

Zuko snorted in disgust. "We'll never outrun them anyway, not like we are. We need to get to the river. They wont expect that. We should be able to find something-a fallen log, something-that will allow us to float downriver."

Katara was staring at him in disbelief. "Are you crazy? We are weighed down with six feet of chain. We'll both drown before we get down the river. Not to mention, you can barley stand on your own, there is no way you can hold onto a floating log."

Zuko fixed sightless eyes on her. "Right now, we don't have a choice." His face seemed to darken and his next words were forced out through clenched teeth. "I'll hold on. If they think I'm just going to roll over and die quietly, they are greatly mistaken."

The words were said with such fury that Katara had no doubts that if Zuko still had his bending abilities that his fists and arms would be wreathed in flames at this moment. It wasn't like they had much of a choice at this point anyway. "Fine." She conceded, "We will go down the river."

Zuko gave her a twisted smile that lacked any warmth and a short bow. "If my lady will lead on…" He gestured outward with the hand before wrapping it once again around his ribs.

She didn't he'd find it amusing to know that he'd gestured back the way they'd came. Katara wisely decided to keep that bit of knowledge to herself.

* * *

Arun stretched his arms wide as he ducked through the low opening of the mess tent. He was feeling good. The mine was above quota for the week and he was expecting a bonus from his employers for his efficient handling of the prisoners.

He cracked his knuckles. Life was good. A smile spread across his face as he contemplated his two latest prisoners. Life was very good indeed. The Fire Nation whelp was the perfect distraction. The boy was stubborn and offered much amusement. And while Arun often wondered why the boy has been sold to him by one of his own nation, Arun knew better than to ask questions. The pouch of gold he'd received to take on the boy and Water tribe girl that was with him, was more than enough reason to accept the gift the fates had dropped at his feet.

The girl had made the deal all that sweeter. Perhaps he wouldn't wait until the shift was over to claim her. It'd been awhile since he'd had a woman with as much fire as that one.

Chuckling, he headed for the yard where he'd left the unusual pair. Not seeing them where he'd left them, he wondered if perhaps they'd already gone done into the mines.

"Nazir!" he yelled.

Nazir, his second in command, poked his head out of the supply hut a few second later.

"Did you take the Little Dragon and the Water girl down into the mines?"

Nazir spat a stream of Betel nut juice between brown stained teeth. "Not me. I haven't seen the Fire brat," he said, wiping his chin with his thumb.

Arun growled in irritation. Hiders always put work behind schedule. It took time for the guards to look for hiding prisoners. He hated hiders. When he found the two of them, he'd kill the boy this time. He didn't care how much he'd been paid to keep the boy alive. When, and if – and it was a big if – the cloaked and masked person that had sold the pair to him came back as promised, he could always claim a mining accident. Besides, as far as he was concerned, one more dead Fire Nation soldier was never a bad thing.

"Get two of the guards and search the camp. When you find the boy and the girl, bring them to me."

* * *

Zuko gave the girl a twisted smile and a short mocking bow, holding in the grunt of pain that wanted to force itself past his lips. "If my lady will lead on," he said, gesturing vaguely off to the side with his good arm.

She took the hint, although he could hear her grumbling, the occasional word coming clear. Most were not complimentary of either him or his parentage. Fortunately, he was entirely too tired to either care or get angry. He was in considerably more pain that he let on. Each gasping breath sent a band of constricting fire across his ribs. His left arm was useless and hung limp; his collarbone definitely broken. His eyes were the most worrisome. He could see nothing out of his scarred eye and the vision in his remaining eye was fading to black around the edges. What sight he had was blurred, the images doubled. Dizziness and nausea rolled through him if he tried to focus on any one thing for too long.

If it weren't for the girl, he'd make his stand and die on his feet like a warrior . . . like a Prince. He'd be damned before he'd die in the dirt of an Earth bender prison mine.

With his good eye half-lidded, he watched the blur of the Water girl as she gathered up the chain that bound them, the heavy links clinking together. The sound reminded him of happier times in the palace, the sound of metal wind chimes ringing through the court gardens. Zuko knew he'd never see those gardens again. The Avatar, his only means of redemption, was dead. Zuko's honor was little more than ashes. There were only two things his remaining honor demanded of him now – return the girl to her people and find the one who'd sold him to the mine. He would accomplish both tasks before he died.

Ignoring the continued mumbling from the girl, he focused on not showing his pain as the chain was once more looped across his shoulders. He would not show his weakness.

* * *

YAAAAAY lol two nights of typing these two chaps and its turns out i couldnt saved the page, named it chap.2 text and c&p it :_( its all cool though. next chapter will be all mine. :) -sam


	3. Chapter 4

_**Hello, i am sorry for the confusion, i accidentally updated the **_**_wrong chapter to this fanfic, the latest chapter is to a fanfic called Coming Home To Misery. I will updated the next chapter right after i post this. I hope this does not stop you from reading Blood and Tears if it does i am greatly sorry. please keep ready._**


	4. Chapter 5

**Hello again :) i really hope you like my chapters / lol im not really good at recreating other peoples stories cuz you gotta try and write/type the way they do. any who here y'all go review please-Sam**

* * *

Chapter 3:

Every step they took, they took it together. Zuko helping Katara as much as he could. Katara letting Zuko use her as his eyes. They had been running for so long that the sky was starting to fade a little. The air getting cooler, reminding Katara of the wind Aang would create when he used his air bending. His goofy smile and laughter that always seemed to lift her mood. Well now there was no longer any Air bender to make a soft breeze. She could no longer hear his joyful laughter. And she could no longer see his goofy grin.

"K-katara!" Zuko panted beside her.

She turned her head to the Fire bender with a questioning look.

"I…_huff…_need to…_huff…_stop." He spoke, his voice going scratchy. She nodded and slowed down until they stood in the middle of the trail. Slumping against the water tribe girl Zuko rested his head on her shoulder, breathing heavily. _In, out. In, out. In, out._ Over and over, in big gasps of air.

"Zuko, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Slowly." Katara stated slowing her own breathing, focusing on the breeze. Suddenly a wheezing sound is heard. Katara's head shot up.

"It hurts, to breath Katara." His voice getting even worse. Katara knew this was bad; she had to get him to the river. And fast. His time was running out and she knew it. Every breath the young prince took sounded like he was drowning. And maybe he was.

"C'mon. I'm getting you to that river." She said sternly. Putting on her determined face Katara lifted the Fire bender onto her back and walked as fast as she could. The remaining meters between them and the bank of the river was slowly dwindling. With each step she took her determination grew. Even though Zuko weighed a ton, she kept going, just to keep him alive. Even if it was by a thread, she wasn't going to let him die right here. She needed him. She would never say that aloud though. Yes, he had saved her countless times during their imprisonment, but she was still the stubborn Katara of the southern water tribe.

When she reached the edge of the river she kneeled down and slid Zuko off of her back, laying him on the sanding bank. She left him like that, while she dipped her hands in the water. She concentrated so hard, tears rolled down her cheeks when the water didn't obey her. _PLEASE! PLEASE! I need to heal him!_ She thought. A few minutes passed before she felt the familiarity of the water obeying her simple command.

"Katara? Where are you?" Zukos voice spoke softly, waiting for answer.

"I'm right here Zuko." She responded walking on her knees to him. "Hold still-" she was cut off when he flinched away from her. "Don't touch me! Please! It hurts!'' he pleaded with her.

"Its okay Zuko, I wont hurt you." She spoke softly, as if talking to Appa when he got scared. He nodded, barley trusting her with the small promise. Katara slowly brought her water-gloved hands to Zuko's ribs, passing over them slowly. Katara could see the pain pass over Zuko's face, trying her hardest to ignore it she kept up the process of healing the firebender.

"Katara?" Zuko spoke, his voice making the waterbender jump slightly.

"Yeah?"

"Its night time." He said it as if she hadn't known, when in fact she hadn't. She'd been so focused on healing Zuko that she'd lost track of time. The young Water bender looked up at the sky. And there in the middle of all the stars was a full moon. _Yue!_ The thought instantly came to her. Yue had turned into the moon; the moon was the first Waterbender. And Yue had given her bending back to her. But for how long? Was the question she did not want to know that answer to.

"Thank you Yue. Tell Sokka I said hi." And with that Katara went back to healing her new friend. As the last few wounds of his healed Katara smiled a little. She was done and he wasn't going to die, he wasn't going to disappear like everybody else. She wasn't alone. Her smile grew a little when she looked to her side.

Beside the two teens, layed a beach with millions of rocks. Katara smiled and crawled over to them, looking at them all closely. After a while Katara picked up a six-inch long jagged rock. She layed it next to Zuko and then grabbed a much bigger rock laying the heavy chain on it. With the last bit of her water bending Katara froze the chain and slammed the rock down on it. After a few hits Katara thought it wasn't going to work but when she put all her efforts into it the chain cracked. Another few hits and it completely shattered. Then as if it where magic the frozen water turned back into regular water.

"THANK YOU YUE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I miss you two! I'll see you guys again one day! I promise!" She yelled up at the sky tears falling down her face. She closed her eyes but kept her head facing the sky. Her tears never stopped. In her mind where images of Aang and Sokka. Some where good like when they had first met Aang in the glacier, or when they went to Kyoshi Island and met Suki and the Kyoshi warriors, or when she was teaching Aang how to Waterbend and stole the water scroll. But then others where horrible like when Admiral Zhao captured Aang, when he was collecting frozen frogs for her and Sokka, and Zuko saved him as The Blue Spirit. Or when Aang accidently burned Katara when learning how to fire bend. Or when Zuko had captured Aang during a blizzard/war.

"Hey? Why are you crying? We're out! We're free!" Zuko said sitting up, staring at her. Katara just shook her head. Zuko still had his uncle. He didn't have to travel back home and face his tribe and tell them how his beloved brother died.

Slowly Zuko reached up and brushed away Katara's tears. But instead of taking his hand away, he kept it they're brushing away every tear that came down her face. Every image that ran through Katara's mind there was a tear. And the images wouldn't stop. And as they all played out Katara noticed that Zuko was in almost every single horrible memory. But he was also the one who had saved her countless times when they where in the mining prison.

"C'mon Katara what's wrong?" Zuko's tender voice cut through her thoughts. Slowly she brought her eyes to meet his. Her were broken and hurt. His were filled with concern and slight happiness.

"I miss them so much." She whispered softly. Zuko was stunned. She hadn't talked about anyone passing away in the prison camp. Choosing to comfort the water girl Zuko scooted closer and looked her dead in the eye.

"Whatever happened, I know it wasn't your fault-" Zuko's soothing voice was out off by Katara lunging her self at him. But with all the things that have gone on in the past few weeks, he flinched away from the young water tribe girl. Without knowing what the gesture meant the young girl frowned even more and began to sob even worse then before. The one person she had left didn't even like her; she was stupid to think things had changed between them.

She stood and started running, her part of the chain weighing her down a little. She didn't know where, all she knew was she wanted to be away from every one and every thing so she kept running. The trees and bushes passing by her small rocks and sticks jabbing at her bare feet. Months ago she wouldn't of had to run, all she would've had to do was pull the water out of her water pouch and bend it. But now, right now all she could do was run. She had been taught that running away cant and wont solve her problems and as she grew up little by little she found that to be true. But again right now she did not want to deal with people or problems. She wanted them to be solved so she could go on with life without feeling dead inside. So she didn't stop when she heard Zuko calling after her. She didn't stop when she ran straight into a thorn bush; she didn't stop when she reached a log in front of her. She jumped over the log and kept running through the sharp thorns. And when she pulled out of those she kept running.

Zuko being Zuko didn't stop either. He wasn't going to let the young girl run away. He hadn't mean to flinch, he was so used to being hit and beaten that he thought she was going to do the same.

"KATARA WAIT!" He screamed running after her, sure she was heading in the opposite direction of the prison camp but she was just going to hurt herself more then she already was, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her get hurt. She was his last tie to any sanity he had left, and he did not want to lose that last little tie.

Weaving around the thorn bushes Zuko hopped over the log the blocked his path from Katara and ran even faster, ignoring the sharp jabs the thorny branches on the ground where giving his bare feet.

Up ahead Zuko saw a chance to grab the young girl and stop her from hurting them both. Boosting up his speed a little more Zuko finally caught up to the sobbing water bender.

"Katara! Stop!" He yelled. She ignored his plea and ducked her head running a little faster. Before she could get ahead again Zuko grabbed her arm and stopped. His heels digging into the ground, yanking his arm Katara was flinged back, falling in the process she brought Zuko with her, letting him accidently land on top of her. Both panting, and a mess they stared at the other. Katara's tears still streaming down her tanned face.

Panting, bleeding, sweating and an overall mess Zuko took one hand away from the ground and once again brushed away Katara's tears. Her eyes looking deep into his for any sign that this wasn't real. And for once Zuko didn't give her a snarky comment or glare at her, no; instead he rolled over, pulled Katara into his lap and hugged her. Tightly, at first Katara was shocked and confused but then she began to felt the warmth in his embrace and she hugged him back. They stayed like that for a while before Zuko lifted his head and looked at the water bender. Her eyes were closed and looked tired, her body was a mess, her blue water skirt and shirt where ripped and had tons of stains. But the thing that caught Zuko's eyes the most was how relaxed she looked. Over a month ago she would have tried to kill him and now? She layed in his lap, clinging to him, as if he was her lifeline.

"Katara?" He spoke softly. No response. _Is she asleep?_ He questioned himself. Shaking her slightly Zuko got his answer. Smiling to himself, Zuko Stood and lifted the girl onto his back and started walking.

* * *

Arun was to say in the least furious.

"SEARCH EVER BIT OF THIS PLACE! I WANT MEN SEARCHING IN THOSE WOODS TO! THEY COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN FAR!" He screamed at his scrambling men. The men around him soon ran into the thorny woods, searching for the two escapees.

Hours went by before any of the men in the woods came back, and they came back with nothing but sleep etched into their expressions. His anger growing even more he decided for his men's sake that they would head out early the next morning and for sure find the two ex benders.

* * *

A few hours later Zuko came across a part in the river where there where tons of logs. Setting Katara down gently Zuko set out to find a log that would be able to hold both of them with out breaking. After a little bit of searching Zuko found a large log that had a few thick branches on it. Dragging it over to the edge of the river. He walked back to the still sleeping Katara and shook her gently. The young girl stirred slightly before opening her eyes.

"C'mon sleeping beauty, time to go for a swim." With the one sarcastic statement Katara was up and smiling a little. Zuko shook his head at her and together the got the log into the water got on and started the little adventure down the river.


	5. Chapter 6

**Hey :) sorry its taken me a bit and i know the latest chapter (which is this one) was deleted, i did that cuz it didnt post the way i wanted (im very picky) so i hope you like this one, i worked very hard and stayed up very late for this, so please review thanks**

* * *

Zuko's arms slowly became stiff as he clung to the log. The cold water wasn't helping either, twice already they had heard guards from the prison camp, but they had hidden under the water and they hadn't been spotted. It had been a few hours since they had started drifting down the river on the thick log.

Katara's thick brown hair stuck to her forehead and back like glue. Her battered water tribe dress clung to her in a sticky fashion. The freezing water some how soothing the water bender. Under all the fear was a small smile. Katara was born for the water. She marveled at how it could be calm one second and angry the next, kind of just like her, but right now, she wanted to get out of the water, help Zuko run and leave this place. She could play in the water later.

As the log floated down stream they both noticed a change of scenery. What was once thorns and dead bushes with even deader trees surrounding them, now there was trees that had green leaves, the grass was green and every sign of life wasn't lifeless. Plus the sky was getting lighter. And Katara knew Zuko was fonder of the land.

Slightly shifting his arm a little Zuko nudged Katara, who had been watching the passing scenery. Turning her head to the ex prince Katara's expression gave away what she was about to ask. "Rapids. We need to get off soon." Katara looked ahead of them, and sure enough not twenty feet away were rushing rapids. Katara nodded and let go of the log. Sure she was an excellent swimmer but clinging to a log for eight straight hours didn't help already tight muscles. Instantly her legs screamed with pain she wasn't expecting, her back ached and her arms where the same. Struggling she tried her hardest to make it to the bank before the rapids. Zuko being Zuko passed Katara not seeing the brunette's pain until he was a little ways to the shore. It was too late though.

Katara hit the first rapid at full speed. And when Zuko didn't see her brown hair, or blue dress, or tan skin, he began to run down the bank to where he last saw his last new friend. As the seconds went by Zuko's eyes ran furiously along the water. When suddenly her head popped up and Zuko eyes snapped towards her direction.

"ZUKO!" she gasped hitting another rapid. Without thinking Zuko stripped off his shirt, revealing a scarred six-pack jumped into the cold water and started swimming towards her. His already aching arms screaming at him even more. He ignored it and kept swimming, searching for his only friend. Suddenly a flash of brown and blue passed by and Zuko dove under water.

The rushing water throwing them against rocks that stood in the currents way. Zukos strong arms wrapped around Katara's middle, pulling her tan body close to his. Finding a sturdy rock Zuko kicked off of it and their heads rose above surface, gasping for air.

The water crashed against them, trying to take them under again. Zuko narrowed his eyes, focusing on the bank, Katara noticed this look, even though they had only met a dozen times before the prison mining camp, he was determined. He wasn't going to fail her.

Keeping their heads above the water the best he could Zuko pushed against the currents, his own muscles cramping and screaming in pain.

"Zuko!" Katara screamed over the loud currents. Zuko kept going but shouted back.

"What?"

"I can swim now." She yelled again, switching spots with the older boy and swimming harder.

Once they reached the bank of the river and crawled out of the cold water, which hardly bothered Katara. Growing up in the southern water tribe somewhat numbed her to the cold. Breathing heavily she turned her head to look at Zuko who was in no better shape then she was in, Katara coughed. "Thank you Zuko, I owe you one." She said before turning her eyes back to the mid-day sun. Beside her she heard the young man chuckle. "No you don't. You saved me earlier." Katara froze, her breath caught in her throat and she could've sworn that her heart stopped, and to add to all of that her eyes widened and Zuko noticed it all. A smirk played upon his lips and he ever so gently placed his hand on her cheek, making her face him.

"I'm serious. I could've died. But you saved me, even though I tried taking your friend from you those few times, you saved me. And I didn't save you because you saved me. I'm not that shallow. So don't be getting all 'I so owe you Zuko' on me. Okay?" He asked looking deep into her blue eyes. Sure they where broken but they still held the curiosity, boldness, and confidence as before. And he admired that about her. He wanted to put every thing else back in them though. He had watched her go from the strong water bender he fought against to the girl who would hold her rage in for someone else, someone who was scared but wouldn't show it. She had turned into a different person. Not just physically but also emotionally. Every time Arun would walk into the mines she would stiffen and try her hardest not to look scared. But he knew. He knew just how scared she was. Because every time Arun laid a hand on her, he was afraid the fragile girl would break, his heart would stop, his anger would boil and his fists where curled so tight he had scars from his nails digging into his hands. And when he felt the thick liquid known as blood coated the tips over his fingers, that's when he would attack the fucked up earth bender. He would never hold back either. Even the earth bender knew that if he had his fire, he would've been dead long ago.

Katara looked at Zuko and smiled a little. But before she could get the chance to ask, or say anything at all, the Earth began to shake. Fear glazed over Katara's eyes and her body shot up. "Whose there?" she asked looking all around. But no one was there.

"Shouldn't I be asking that? Who are you?" Said a voice to their left. Zukos eyes snapped to the direction and protectively moved in front of Katara, shielding her from anything the person threw at them. Eyes searching the bushes Zukos made sure not to skim over anything, finally his eyes settled on a small girl with her hair slightly in front of her eyes. She wore green robes and a green headband with white puffballs on it in her hair. Her face had the expression that said if neither of them didn't say anything something bad was going to happen. And it did. The earth around the two began to shake and soon the two escapees where separated and solid dirt polls incased them, making a makeshift cage. That was when Katara snapped. Her eyes got so huge Zuko thought they'd burst. Her face showed true fear and her body went rigged. "NOO! ZUKO! PLEASE STOP! ZUKO! HELP ME! DON'T LET THEM HURT ME! THEY'RE GOING TO HURT ME! STOOOPPPP! PLEASE! PLEEAAASEEE STOP!" She screamed, fresh tears running down her face. Zukos face twisted with fury as he looked from girl to girl.

"I'll stop when you tell me who you are and what your doing here." The girl said hesitantly, keeping her eyes on Katara the whole time. Zuko could tell she wanted to let Katara go but he knew she couldn't because she was protecting herself. "I'm Zuko, she is Katara….we are escapees from a prison mining camp not that far from here. We are here because we're running; we're trying to get as far away from that place as possible. Now please let us go." He explained, his eyes pleading. The girl nodded and the earth polls disappeared into the ground. As soon as he could Zuko ran over to Katara and took her in her arms. He hadn't known she was that scared. He understood though. He understood her pain, not all of it though, he knew she was scared and that she needed someone. And he was the only person, and he'd be damned if some earth bender pulled 'em apart. He needed her just as much as she needed him. He would never say that aloud though.

Zuko had rested her head upon Zuko's shoulder and sobbed, clinging to him like her life depended on it. Zuko wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Zuko was rubbing circles into her back and whispering soothing words to her. Katara's tears made the young man on edge, and a little mad. Not at the water tribe girl, but at the person/reason why she was crying. He wanted to chase away the thing or even person that was scaring her. He wanted to protect her. That was the biggest reason as to why he had protected her from Arun back at the mining prison. He wanted to see her smile, even if it was just a small one. He didn't want it to be broken though, he knew she was broken, but when you smile it shouldn't be, it should be filled with happiness, love, and warmth. He hadn't seen her real smile yet, but he strived to. He knew it would be beautiful.

Katara gasped as she cried even more into Zuko's shoulder. She didn't want to be separated from him again. Yeah he tried to kill her and take her friend from her, but he also saved her from Arun. He never let her down, not since the first day they got here. Sure at first they where enemies at first, but then as time flew by, they found that they needed each other. They both knew that, but both where to stubborn to admit it. Maybe.

"Z-Zuko…" Katara mumbled into his shoulder.

"Yeah Katara?" He answered.

"Please don't ever leave me…I…. I need you…" She said. The small sentence stunning the fire nation exile, he didn't think she would ever say something like that. Yeah he might've known it but she was just as stubborn as him and he had thought that she would've kept it in. Welp he was wrong.

"I wont ever leave you. Swear." He said hugging her tighter. Behind them stood the little girl that had separated them in the first place. Questions ran through her mind and she wondered if they where lovers. "So you guys need shelter?" she asked. Both of the teens jumped, for they had forgotten the girl. Zuko stood first, taking Kataras hand and pulling her up. "Yeah. We do." Said Zuko pulling Katara close. He didn't know how dangerous this girl could be. Katara, who had dried her tears, was studying the small girl carefully. "I'm Toph. I can get you a place. If you want to keep walking you can…but I'd like to join you." She said, walking closer. Zuko tightened his grip around Katara and stood a little taller. He wouldn't mind the company but he didn't know if he could trust her. "You can…but how can we trust you?" Katara asked staring at the obvious earth bender. For a second Zuko thought about glaring at Katara and refusing the offer but then he saw how she leaned on him. His eyes, once again, ran his eyes over her paling body, she has lost weight during the few weeks at the camp due to not eating enough. Her body was covered in bruises and her eyes where blood shot from lack of sleep. Turning to the earth ben-Toph, Zuko nodded his head, waiting for the girl to start walking. After a few seconds of waiting Katara noticed something was wrong. The girls eyes where light, way to light. Her stance was rigged and careful. Suddenly a thought came to her. "Your blind." The girls head shot up and she smiled. Very few people ever noticed, let alone stated it."Your blind but you can take care of your self, you've already showed us that but how can we trust you?" She asked curiosity written on her face. Toph looked down and thought for a moment. Before she said "You cant. I'm sure we'll find a way some how though. I would love the company." She stated sticking out her hand. Katara was the first to budge, but Zuko's grip in her didn't let her go. "Zuko I don't know about you but I would like to make new friends. It cant be just us forever." Zuko though for a second before letting go of her. Katara walked over and took the girls hand. "Its nice to meet you Toph. Lets get going." Toph nodded and started walking the way they where going to. As Katara started walking away too Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Katara turned around with a slight glare but before she could say anything Zuko pulled her into a tight hug. Resting his head on top of hers he breathed in her scent. Ice and rain. Though it was fading, because of the sweat and dirt he could still smell it.

Katara didn't know what to do, so she slowly wrapped her arms around Zuko, shock still pulsing through her veins. Zuko had never really shown her any real affection. For one reason they where enemies before they went to the prison camp. For two he was way to prideful to show any affection to the 'water peasant'. But Zuko shocked her even further. "I need you too. And I'd be damned if I ever let anyone touch or hurt you again." He said pulling back and lifting her head so her eyes would meet his. Lowering his head a little bit, his eyes looked into Katara's, searching for anything that said 'no'. There wasn't. Just shock and wonder. So Zuko lowered his lips onto hers. Electricity ran through Zuko and Katara. Making the kiss even more exciting for them. But all to soon Zuko pulled back. Katara's heart sung for the first time and she smiled at him. Making his heart smile.

And soon enough the two ex benders where walking behind Toph. Katara still leaning on Zuko for support. But little did the fire nation boy know, it wasn't because of the kiss.


	6. Chapter 7

Hey i'm sorry for not updating but i'll try to before before the 29th. I didn't mean to not update i just kinda kept putting it off. Again im sorry :( please dont stop reading. -Samantha. F


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